construction bears intrinsic evidence of the skill and experience of the architect. It is of the mixed class, and may take rank with the romantic dramas of George Colman. The syncretics will, doubtless, shrug their shoulders, and talk contemptuously of its objectiveness, and smile at the bad taste of the public, and seek to prove that the plan is wrong, and that it could not, should not, would not succeed; yet, in spite of these cannons of criticism, the play has gone off, not only well, but attained an instant success, and will, we are confident, rejoice in a lasting popularity. Its very transparency is an element in its favour the self-evident nature of the plotthe singleness of purpose of its characters the domestic interest of the story the palpableness of the motives and the self-pride of the audience at their own clearness of perception in discovering the mystery of what is, in fact, no mystery whatsoever, all combine to render it attractive as a drama. That the same event, or, at any rate, events remarkably similar in their bearings, had been previously exhibited is rather to than from the purpose; and this is fully established by the result. An eloquent writer has said, that in commenting on the various failures which have too frequently occurred in the theatrical world, he has had to expatiate on the necessity for telling a story well to amuse an audience; that no amount of wit or of poetry, of profundity or of passion, will compensate for a deficiency in this requisite; but, on the other hand, let the tale be well conducted, and it is surprising how moderate an audience will be in exacting other means of gratification; that in this circumstance lay the ground of schism between the envious literati connected with the stage. The men who can write for the theatre are despised by those who cannot write, but have a vague notion as to the purpose to which a drama might be applied. To the latter class, that a play succeeds just because it keeps up the attention for a given time, and affords opportunities for a favourite actor or two to make a display is detestable; and yet this fact obstinately refuses to be talked down. The Lady of Lyons, doubtful moral, without any w writing at four acts capitally managed,

sticks to the bills with grim reality, and, however he withdraws

good audiences at all sorts of places, and defies the utterances of the most exalted theorists. To people who will look at

things is perfectly intellihe affair from a common-sense point of view this state of

Of the vast class of people who devour morals, the majority demand to be satisfied by the story-deep reflection and delineation of character, however they may contribute to the immorality of a writer, and however they may cause a man's works to be referred to when contemporary productions are forgotten, still only affect a minority of the readers of his own day, when he is read for amusement, and not because he has an established name.

This is clear as noon-day, and proves the necessity of first securing the interest of an audience by a material ground-work before the poetical elaboration be superadded; and this we take to be the secret of the success of Mr. Lovell's play. The plot is exceedingly simple, and can boast of little invention in the ruling incidents; but infinite knowledge is apparent in the distinct articulation of the characters the constructive means in the building up the materials the continuous action of the drama-the evolving of the passions and the perfect completion of the story. Sir Walter Amyott, a zealous partisan of the Parliamentary forces, is married to Lady Eveline, the sister of Lord Arden, an ardent adherent of the Royal cause. In this consists the antagonism of the drama. During the absence of Sir Walter there had been an unsuccessful rising of the Cavaliers, headed by Lord Arden, who had been fain to seek for security in France, but who has been tempted to return to England to head the attempt. The Cavaliers are routed, and Lord Arden, pursued by his enemies, seeks shelter at the abode of his sister. The Lady Eveline receives him, and prays him to become friends with her husband; but all amnesty is spurned by the Cavalier, who binds her by an oath to keep his situation secret from Sir Walter Amyott. The lady takes the oath. At this juncture the husband returns, and every effort is used to keep him in ignorance of the presence of Lord Arden. An old steward (Jabez Sneed) has been detected in divers peculations by the Lady Eveline, and fearing his master's indignation and instant dismissal from his situation, seeks the means of instilling doubts into his master's mind of the virtue of his wife. The accounts, which have been closely examined by Eveline, are kept in an escritoire in the Bower-chamber, in a closet of which lies perdue the Cavalier. Fearing that in continuing the use of this chamber Sir Walter Amyott may discover the secret, Eveline determines to abandon it until Lord Arden finds means to escape. This excites the suspicion of Jabez Sneed, who #sets to work to penetrate the mystery, and succeeds by scaling the casement to discover the existence of a stranger; but the back being turned he fails in recognising the features. He hastens to Sir Walter Amyott, and apprises him of the circumstance, and urges him to demand the key, which is in the possession of his wife. The train is laid, but not fired - the key is refused, and the pangs of jealousy

rage in the heart of Sir Walter Amyott. Watches are set, and through the window of the Bower-chamber are seen the forms of Lady Eveline and Lord Arden in tender collision. There is no longer doubt-his wife is guilty, and the heart-riven husband falls senseless to the earth. He accuses his wife of infamy, and is about to drive her from her home, when Lord Arden, who has succeeded in procuring a passage for France, is shot at while making his escape. He is brought to the house, and the mystery is unfolded, the clouds are dispersed, and all is sunshine and happiness.

The above is the mere chart of the play; it is filled up with situations of startling incidents, ingenious involvments, and poetical passages of pathos and passion. The honest confidence of the husband in the purity of his wife-the slow doubts which are vainly combatted-the fell fury which follows the certainty of her infidelity-the lingering tenderness, and the final joy are skilfully pourtrayed in the character of Sir Walter Amyott; while the holy spirit of endurance under unmerited suspicion-the matronly dignity, the wild pathos, and the passionate tearfulness are exquisitely embodied in the Lady Eveline. Jabez Sneed is a graphic sketch; and Maud, a confidential attendant, is drawn with a clever pencil. The two principal characters are admirably adapted to the powers of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean. There is fervid passion for the former, and ample verge and scope for the intense tenderness of the latter; and never have we witnessed a more perfect embodiment, or one more free of the common stage conventionalities. There are scenes which keep the audience spell-bound, and not the slightest phase but is reflected with truthful effect. The Wife's Secret is a great triumph for all concerned.

DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL
MUSICAL MIRROR.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

No official programme has yet appeared; all that is left for us is to combine the various rumours which have been floating about, and endeavour to put them into shape and consistency. That there is a prestige of royalty and fashion connected with Her Majesty's Theatre none will deny that the present direction has redeemed the property from the slough of despond into which for so long a period it had been cast is incontestible. When the secession of the old troupe had left the theatre as void as was the island of Robinson Crusoe-when doubt and dismay reigned around, even then the magic wand of wealth conjured up a strong troupe, and the good fairy Jenny Lind dispersed the clouds, and all became sunshine. We have a strong and abiding faith in the management, and we entertain no one doubt that the coming season will be brilliant and prosperous. We hear that the Lind is to be here early in March, and that she will appear in new characters, and act in operas such as the Lucia, Otello, and others. The Zauberflote, and several classical works, will, no doubt, be got up. The celebrated Erminia Tadolini, the great songstress and tragedian, is engaged. Her success in Germany was immense, and she is without a rival throughout Italy. A new prima donna, who made a great success at La Fenice, Signora Crevelli, is spoken of in terms of high laudation. Our old favourite, Moltini, is secured; this engagement will, we are sure, be gratifying to the subscribers and to the general public. Then another prima donna is said to be coming. Louisa Albadia, who has been a favo arite at all the great theatres of Italy, and whom, it is said, has eminent talent as a tragic actress. A wonderful contralto, Mdlle Schwartz, from Austria, is expected to excite a profound sensation. Gardoni and two other tenors have been engaged, Signor Cugzani and Labocetto from Berlin, and the king of tenors, Rubini, it is whispered, is positively coming. The giant Lablache, and the Doge Coletti, with Bouché, and F. Lablache, are the bassi; and a new bary-tone, Signor Beletti, is added to the troupe. The ballet will, it is said, be in strong force, a new one having been written by no less a person than the eminent Scribe. Rosati, and Marie Taglioni, who has been enacting wonders in Germany, will appear. Carlotta Grisi brings with her a new ballet, or one as good as new. Of course there will be M. and Madame St. Leon, and new choregraphic works by Perrot and Paul Taglioni. No doubt strenuous efforts have been made to strengthen and complete the orchestra, and the other departments. The above are mere mems., but we shall have opportunity for elaboration and dilated comment when the official document is given to the world.

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

The official programme has appeared; and strong as was the lyrical troupe and the orchestral and choral forces brought together last season, the direction seem determined to heap Alp on Alp. New instrumental recruits have been enlisted, additional choristers are to increase the volume of harmonic sounds, new prime donne are to illustrate new repertoires, and new tenors are to sigh forth their amorous arias to tickle the "auricular nerves" of the musical public. The ballet is reinforced, and names new and strange to English ears stand forth in strong array. How such a combination can be remunerative remains to be proven; and yet, during a lengthened experience, we have found that an affluence of resources is the best security for managerial profit. Grisi, Persiani, Castellan, Viardot Garcia, and Alboni !—five prima donnas, each of whom one might suppose to be a tower of strength sufficient to support a theatre upon her own distinctive merit -five suns in one heaven-blindness induced by excess of light-and all moving in one orbit-such a planetary system was never dreamed of in the wildest dream of the wildest lyrical astronomer. And then we are to have the voluptuous warblings of Mario, the strains of Salvi, and the rich notes of Roger-of Roger, who has succeeded to the throne left vacant by the abdication of Duprez. Here are means sufficient to the illustration of every opera, from Paer to Auber-musical appreciation for Mozart-passionate declamation for Glück-melodious splendour for Rossini and his followers. The mere thought of the tremendous cost of such a variety is overpowering; to which if are added the thousand-and-one contingencies of expenditure, the speculation appears rather a mythe, than a commercial undertaking, a matter of pounds, shillings, and pence. The spirit which dominates over the theatre would seem to possess the fabled purse of Fortunatus, or at least to have the fee simple of the mines of Potosi. Be this as it may, the public will be the gainers, the art will be benefited, and music will be enwreathed with a splendour unimagined by those who existed

"When music, heavenly maid, was young."

The orchestra of the Royal Italian Opera has been supreme-no Continental orchestra can be put into comparison with it for power and completeness. The stringed instruments have a strength and crispness far surpassing those boasted of by the Paris Conservatoire; the wood and brass are, however, unequal, and this has somewhat damaged the perfect balance of sound-but with the new aids promised, this, no doubt, will be improved. The great classical works are, we hear, to be performed. The Iphigenia, with such an ensemble as the names we have mentioned, ought to attract every musical amateur in the kingdom. La Vestale of Spontini, and the works of Cherubini and Meyerbeer, are to be mounted-Mozart will be in the van, and Rossini will shed his lustre amidst the stellar luminaries of the classic temple. New operas are also spoken of, and Verdi's opera of Macbeth, with Grisi as the stern lady of the Thane, will send us back to the golden days of Siddons. Robert le Drable is to be conducted by Meyerbeer in person, under whose surveillance will also be produced The Camp of Silesia; while Auber's last opera, Le Secret, will be interpreted by Roger, for whom the principal character was written. If but half be performed that is promised, the season will become an epoch in the musical history of the country. Various alterations and improvements in the audience part of the theatre have been made, amongst which are mentioned the ventilation of the amphitheatre, and the enlargement of the gallery. We would suggest the widening of the passages of the stalls, as during the last season the inconvenience was greatly complained of. Report speaks largely of the immense improvement of Viardot Garcia since her appearance in London. In Russia, she excited a profound sensation, and in Germany so great were her triumphs, that the spirit of partisanship amongst the Viardoists and Lindists almost amounted, în intensity, to the Parisian war of the Glückists and Picinists. The success of Alboni at the Italiens is also a point d'appui for the management.

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

The effort made by M. Jullien to establish a national lyric establishment is worthy all praise, and if fully developed there is not a shadow of doubt that a sufficing patronage will ultimately repay the enormous outlay necessary to secure its continuance. The prospects, in despite of many countervailing circumstances, growing out of want of experience and want of method, look cheeringly. The mistakes of a first short season will be corrected by time; and the direction will, we feel assured, be rewarded for the excellence of the object, and the liberal expenditure that has been devoted to present opera with a completeness hitherto unparalleled in an English theatre. During the vacation there will be opportunity for maturing the designs for the next season; errors will be corrected,

a succession of new works will be got in readiness, plans will be conceived and carried out, which will ensure success. The only novelty which has been produced since our last has been the Linda di Chamouni, in which four new appearances essayed their vocal qualification for public approbation. Mrs. Lea, formerly Miss Susan Hobbs, was the prima donna, and her means, though too petite for so large a space, would be efficient in a smaller arena. She has a high soprano voice, thin in quality, though of extensive register, and vocalises with facility and with correct intonation. Mr. Lea, the marito, is a small barytone of little merit, without a particle of dramatic passion; and Mr. Gregg is a basso profondo who out Staudigls Staudigl. Mr. Santiago is a pocket tenor, also without dramatic means. It was impolitic to produce this batch of debutants in the same opera; but, apart from this, M. Jullien deserves praise for seeking to bring forward new candidates for public approval. The same system is pursued in Italy and Paris; and, though some failures must necessarily occur, has been found to work well. The houses have been uniformly excellent.

OLYMPIC THEATRE.

A more than usual excitement has prevailed in theatrical circles, induced by the first appear ance of Mr. Gustavus V. Brooke on the London stage. This gentleman, many years past, appeared at various minor metropolitan theatres, as a sort of histrionic phenomenon-a precocious Roscius. Time, as usual, destroyed the attraction of the boy-tragedian, and he for many years studied the knowledge and practice of his art in the provinces. In various theatres he was the ruling star. At Sheffield, York, Leeds, and Liverpool the star increased in refulgence, till it became a comet. Various offers had been made to tempt him to risk the ordeal of the great Babylon; but though engagements were entered into, papers signed, and name in the bills, the ratification remained still to be effected. Disagreements and disappointments, resulting from choice of time and opening parts, continued. Mr. Macready supposed he had secured him for Drury Lane, when lo! the untried tragedian was non est inventus. Years rolled on, and still Mr. Gustavus V. Brooke was satisfied with provincial praise and provincial plandits, until the present direction of the Olympic Theatre managed to lime the " errant bird." A more fortunate hit could not have been made, for that curiosity which had been for so lengthened a period thirsting for the sight was at length to be indulged, and (we may add) not disappointed. Mr. Brooke appeared in Othello, and like Byron upon the morning subsequent to the publication of the "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers," found himself famous. Mr. Brooke is rather above the middle height, and well formed; his head is well set on his shoulders, his features expressive, and his action unconstrained and graceful. His voice is potent, but well modulated, and capable of rendering passages of pathos as well as of power. There is an absence of imitation; neither the beauties nor the defects of any celebrated tragedian, past or present, are aped. He evidently depends on his own mental resources, and does not avail himself of preconceived conceptions. He has studied the play as well as the chief: character, and hence his portraiture of the noble Moor, if not characterised by many brilliant corruscations of genius, is not degraded by stereotyped conventionalities. Perhaps at moments there is a lack of finish, though we are inclined to think that this may result from the confined dimensions of the stage on which he now exhibits. Upon a more fitting and more extended arena, this might not be so apparent, Mr. Brooke seldom exaggerates never tears the passion to rags-to delight the ears of the groundlings. Indeed, at moments a greater degree of energy would be beneficial; but this, if a want, is assuredly on the right side. The celebrated address to the senate, though tending more to the rhetorical than to the narrative, was earnestly and sensibly declaimed; and the various points in the glorious third act-that masterpiece of dramatic genius, which casts into the shade all that the boasted Greek poets ever dreamed or wrote-lost nothing of its sublime wonders in the rendering. The growing jealousy, and the mental agony, and the heart-quake, and the final determination to avenge his ruin, were all admirably delineated. The applause was enthusiastic and continuous. The fifth act we esteem to be his greatest achievement, for in this the dramatic abstraction is more intense, and the actor more self-dependent. We refrain from citing especial passages for comment, as these have been dilated upon again and again by our journal contemporaries. Before, however, returning a final verdict upon Mr. Brooke, we must see him in another character. We have been so often deceived with "single-speech Hamiltons."

SURREY THEATRE.

Music is a universal language: from Indus to the Pole from the satined salons of Paris to the log-built huts in the back woods of America, its tones reach with instant sympathy to the human breast. The universe is full of music; but, like the music of Plato's spheres, it passes unheeded amidst the busy turmoil of mortals. The denizens of Belgravia may feast upon the foreign warblings of Her Majesty's Theatre, yet we are inclined to doubt whether they enjoy with equal zest and similar appetite the lyrical art, as do the visitors of the Surrey. Mr. Bunn may be considered as the true lyrical Columbus of the transpontine world; for though portions of the land were before discovered, yet to Mr. Bunn is due the honour of the final possession. The appearances of an operatic troupe previous to his management were, "like angels' visits, few and far between." He has now established opera as the principal attraction of the theatre; he has organised an orchestra both full and efficient; and has secured the co-operation of many of the leading English vocalists-Miss Romer, Mr. Harrison, Mr. and Mrs. King, Mr. H. Phillips, &c. The Surrey is thoroughly an English Opera House. The works of Balfe, Wallace, and other popular native composers, have here received an increased popularity; and the various melodies which had attained an exclusive home at the west, have now become familiar as household words to even the jacketless visitor of the sixpenny gallery. Shall we deny the humanising influences to be derived from the change of morbid dramas, assisted by broad-sword combats, seasoned with blue and red fires? There can, we apprehend, be no question of the moral benefit of the exchange. The Bohemian Girl has, with her change of place, fascinated myriads of new admirers; and the "Marble Halls" are welcomed with a delight infinitely beyond what was wont to greet the scenic splendours of the old spectacles. Maritana is the pet of the habitues; and now The Daughter of the Regiment has driven former loves into comparative forgetfulness; but the public is proverbially fickle, and too often reverses the old Scotch aphorism-"'Tis well be off with the old love before you are on with the new." Miss Poole, though not an absolute Swedish nightingale, warbles as sweetly as any singing bird in the entire range of ornithology; and we must bear in mind that the songstress is an English singing bird-and very proud are we of her fresh young voice, and distinct enunciation, and modest manner, and pure style; and then she beats the drum with a grace and distinctness of roll sufficient even to awaken the military ardour of a member of the Lumber Troop! Very piquant, also, is her costume-with the close-fitting vest and coquettish petticoat. Altogether, her cheerful chirruping and rich roulades form a very appetising combination. The choruses are capitally executed; and the scenery, dresses, and appointments testify to the exceeding liberality of Mr. Bunn's management.

MARYLEBONE THEATRE.

One of the surest tests of a theatre's success is its adherence to the same style of perfor mance. It proves that the tastes of the patrons are judiciously studied, and that the current attractions suffice to draw audiences. Mrs. Warner, by the introduction of a better order of drama, by the engagement of an efficient company, and by the liberality and taste exemplified in the production of pieces, has done very much to elevate the dramatic status of the theatre. The selection and restoration of many of the works of the most celebrated English writers, and the admirable manner with which they have been represented, we have reason to believe has not alone filled the treasury, but has, at the same time, created a positive appetite for that better fare to which the visitors have now become accustomed. We have strenuously advocated the necessity of cultivating the public taste, for never did any management find its account in ministering to the grosser appetites of an audience. Duty and profit may be united, while amusement and instruction walk handin-hand. Mrs. Warner's educated taste, mental refinement, and artistic knowledge must secure for her praiseworthy efforts in so good a cause, the gratitude of every well-wisher of the stage, and of popular improvement.